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Marijuana Addiction Is Real

There are some who believe that marijuana can’t be addictive because it’s perceived to be not as bad of a drug as heroin. The truth is that pot can be just as addictive and harmful. You may be asking “how or why?” Well, where are going to answer just that. Here are some facts you should know about marijuana addiction.

The Facts About Marijuana Addiction

Marijuana can be addictive if you suffer from the disease of addiction. Addiction centers in the brain, as well as the body, enabling a person to become mentally and physically addicted. This means that if you have the right brain chemistry, you can become addicted to many different things, including pot.

You can experience withdrawals. Withdrawals are essentially a physical manifestations of physical dependencies. Alan J. Budney, a professor of psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College in Lebanon NH remarks on some of the interesting properties of pot once it is removed from regular use: “It’s very similar to what people experience with tobacco…It makes you irritable. It makes you restless. It makes it hard to sleep.” Indeed, there are many similarities between cigarettes and weed.

It’s harmful. Just because marijuana can’t kill you as quickly as a heroin overdose can, does not mean that it isn’t harmful to your mind or body. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states that marijuana smokers experience respiratory disturbances similar to tobacco smokers, including coughs and lung infections. Also like tobacco, marijuana may increase the risk of heart attack due to its ability to raise blood pressure and heart rate. Studies have determined that there are 50% to 70% more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke, thus increasing the potential to contracting cancer. Though there has been no significant increase in specific cancers due to pot smoking, the dangers of heart issues is enough alone to raise eyebrows to the health problems associated with smoking weed.

Same Addiction Issues, Different Drugs

Addictions are defined by the fact that excessive, frequent and prolonged usage leads to a life revolving around the idol of whatever substance is being abused. This is what marijuana addiction looks like. It is no different than dependence on cigarettes and caffeine at its basest form. Sure, nicotine and sodas or coffee (and alcohol) for that matter are not socially stigmatized like other illicit drugs are. Weed may be considered to be on the fence for now, and may in another few generations lose the counter-cultural stigma, the same way alcohol did. This does not change the fact that someone can abuse it and become addicted.

Do you think you have a marijuana addiction problem? Check out Marijuana Anonymous (MA) and see if recovery is right for you.